Question #3e137

1 Answer
David Drayer
Sep 2, 2016

Butane as the lowest boiling point followed by hexane and octane, Octane has the highest boiling point

Explanation:

The smaller the alkane the lower the boiling point. Butane has only four Carbons and ten Hydrogens # C_4H_10# , There are fewer Hydrogen atoms that attempt to bond to Carbons from two different molecules in butane. This causes the boiling point to be lower.

Because of the low boiling point butane is used in cigarette lighters.

The larger the alkane the higher the boiling point . Octane has 8 carbons and and 18 Hydrogens #C_8H_16#. There are more Hydrogen atoms that attempt to bond to Carbons from two different molecules. This means that the bonding is successful more often causing the compound to remain liquid longer.

Because of the higher boiling point octane is the main ingredient of gasoline used in car engines.

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